Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

With Bad Moon Rising and other life stuff, it’s been months since I’ve participated in Calendar Girls, and I’ve missed it.  But I’m back – yay!

This category nearly stumped me.  I read mainly sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, so I’ve come across all kinds of strange things, but considering the genres, that kind of goes with the territory.  So they’re not really that strange.  To me, anyway.  Nothing immediately came to mind, so I had to go back to my Goodreads lists for the past few years.  When I finally came across it, I knew.  My choice is Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.

Dark Matter wasn’t strange in a bad way, but it’s a book I gobbled up in less than a day.  Over three years later, it’s stuck with me.  It was mind-blowing, intense, and a stunning blend of of sci-fi, suspense, thriller and, believe it or not – romance.  I can’t say much more about it without spoilers, but for sci-fi fans, it’s absolutely a must read.  It’s been optioned for a movie by Sony, but who knows if it will ever get made.  Below is the book description – but if you’re participating in NaNo, don’t even try reading it this month.  You’ll never meet your goal!

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

It starts with a man in a mask kidnapping him at gunpoint, for reasons Jason can’t begin to fathom—what would anyone want with an ordinary physics professor?—and grows even more terrifying from there, as Jason’s abductor injects him with some unknown drug and watches while he loses consciousness.

When Jason awakes, he’s in a lab, strapped to a gurney—and a man he’s never seen before is cheerily telling him “welcome back!”

Jason soon learns that in this world he’s woken up to, his house is not his house. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born.

And someone is hunting him.

 

 

Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

I voted for this theme, but narrowing it down to one book will be a difficult choice.  To make this decision, I visited my reading challenge on Goodreads and reviewed what I’ve read this year so far.  According to that site, I’ve read 49 books (I’m 4 behind), but I came up with a few choices.

Early in the year, I read To Best the Boys by Mary Weber.  Rhen was an intelligent, compassionate, and driven protagonist.  She knew what she wanted and refused to compromise her dreams to fit society’s expectations.  The challenges she met while navigating the dangerous labyrinth kept me glued to this book.

I didn’t know what to expect from Killing November by Adriana Mather.  The cover didn’t appeal to me, but the description was crazy good, and the book hooked me immediately.  With fabulous character development, political intrigue, a complex, thrilling plot, and a main character whose life was in jeopardy on nearly every page, it was one of my best reads this year.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee was such a pleasure to read – humor, adventure, tons of quotable lines.  Despite Monty being narcissistic, oblivious, and generally a danger to himself and others with his actions, he was so freaking charming, I became a confirmed fan of his.

It was a tough decision, but I’ll have to go with Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman.  It’s rare, but in the first several pages, I knew this was a 5 star read – seven diverse characters I fell in love with, humorous banter between them that kept me laughing, action, death-defying moments, and a tension-filled heist.  The story leans heavily on themes of family, friendship, faith, and finding your crew.  I can’t wait to get my hands on book two.

Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

 

Before we get started, I’ll be late getting to comments today, or maybe even tomorrow.  We’re moving the youngest son into his college apartment today.  In 90+ degree weather.  To the 3rd floor.  In a building with no elevator.  Yay.

I missed out on Calendar Girls over the past couple of months, so I’m glad to be back on track again.  When I saw this theme, that song from Grease immediately started playing in my head – and I bet it’s in yours now.  You’re welcome.  You guys know I’m not one for much romance in my reading, but yes, there are definitely some couples I shipped.  Below are a few that immediately came to mind.

Adam and Ronan from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.  These guys couldn’t be more different – but from the second I had an inkling there was something more than friendship brewing between them, it just seemed right.  And when Stiefvater’s new book, Call Down the Hawk, is released, readers will see how their relationship has developed.  I can’t wait!

Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley.  I’m sure you guys know the book these characters come from.  With Harry’s tragic past and his horrible living conditions with the Dursleys, I hoped he’d find a stable, loving home and a family of his own.  When the Weasleys welcomed him into their lives (Molly is just the perfect mom), I wanted him to become an official part of their family.  And Ginny’s crush on him from early in the series was just adorable.

But my favorite OTP has to be Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa from Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.  The two of them have tragic pasts that left them broken, but they never give up.  This quote from Kaz sums up their relationship perfectly, and just melted my heart when I read it.

“I would have come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together-knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.” 

 

Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

Happy April Fool’s Day!  I’ve certainly read my share of books with a surprise ending or twist.  And I’m a confirmed fan – but I’ve read so many books that it’s kind of difficult to catch me off guard or to throw in a twist I didn’t see coming.  That being said, some have succeeded, and when I learned the theme for April, three books immediately jumped to mind.

This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis.  I won’t say exactly what this character did that was so surprising, but trust me when I say it was completely unexpected and shocking.  Upon meeting the author, I had to ask where she’d gotten the idea for it, and told her how much I loved the twist.

 

 

 

Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff.  With the revelations and twists in the last part of this book, I felt like my head had been put in a blender and pureed.  I never had an inkling – not a single clue of what was coming.  And the sequel will be released soon!

 

 

 

But the book I have to go with is The Empress by S.J. Kincaid.  The twists in this book were soul-crushing and infuriating.  I went through bouts of happiness, rage, frustration, hopelessness.  It’s the first novel I’ve ever had to set down and walk away from for a period of time – my reaction was that strong.  I read this book in 2017, and a part of my soul has died a little each day that I have to wait for the next book in the series – which is scheduled for sometime this summer.  Maybe I’ll have a shred of soul left by then.

Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

Strong female leads – I’ve read my share, and there are loads out there to choose from.  Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games is an obvious choice, and so is Starr from The Hate U Give (my Calendar Girls selection from last month), but for different reasons.  Nemesis from S.J. Kincaid’s Diabolic series is the epitome of a strong female lead, physically, emotionally, and mentally.  The things she’s had to deal with would break most people.  The cliffhanger at the end of the second book in that series nearly broke me.

But I decided to go with a character from a book I recently finished – Rhen Tellur from To Best The Boys.  She lives in a world where girls are taught how to make good wives, rather given a traditional education and encouragement to pursue their own dreams.  Being exceptionally intelligent and gifted in science, Rhen’s says, ‘Screw that’, and makes different plans for her future.  She poses as a boy, enters an all male competition to win a scholarship, and throws society’s expectations of her right back at their faces.  Rhen doesn’t allow anyone else to dictate who she is, what her dreams should be, or how she can achieve them.  Girl power!

Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port receive a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. Every year, the poorer residents look to see that their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.

In the province of Caldon, where women are trained in wifely duties and men are encouraged into collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her Mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.

With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone’s ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the maze.

 

Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

To narrow this down, I’m sticking with YA books I’ve read in the past year.  Recently I reviewed Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (review).  I loved the zombie-added alternate history take by this author, and Jane, her intelligent, snarky protagonist stole my heart.  Pride by Ibi Zoboi is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, probably my favorite Jane Austen novel.  The modernized version of this story intrigued me – unfortunately, I only read a 5 chapter sampler, and I’ve never been able to get back to the book.  But I plan to!  Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi has received exceptional reviews.  It’s been in my TBR for a while, and I’ll be reading it for my book club in a couple of months.  If I’d had been more caught up, I’m sure it would be at the top of my list.

My choice will probably be a popular one, but The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas had such a profound effect on me.  It’s crucial, timely, powerful, honest, uncomfortable, gut-wrenching – and should be required reading.  I’m thrilled Angie Thomas will be at our local book festival in April, where I’ll be able to meet her and get a signed copy of her new book, On the Come Up.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. 

Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

The other fun piece to The Calendar Girls group is the Twitter chat. On the 3rd Sunday of each month, at 8 p.m. EST, Katie and Adrienne will host a chat with hashtag #CGBChat, where everyone can participate and gif away. They will get the ball rolling by asking a question or two about the theme or the picks of the month to get everyone chatting. The hashtag will be used in all tweets, so you can see all the fun!

This is a difficult category for me.  Not because I don’t have a release I’m looking forward to – it’s that there are so many I’m stupid excited about and can’t wait to get my greedy, impatient hands on.  For me, it’s sequels to some of my favorite YA sci-fi/fantasy series.  The Gilded Wolves #2 by Roshani Choksi, which still doesn’t have a cover or release date (although I’m hoping for late 2019).  The Diabolic #3 by S.J. Kincaid – no cover, but Goodreads lists a release date of July 2019.  The ending of The Empress (Diabolic #2) ripped my heart out, and is literally the only book I’ve ever had to put down and walk away from because of the emotions it evoked.  If I knew Six of Crows #3 by Leigh Bardugo was coming out in 2019, I’d be tempted to sell my soul to get an advance copy.  Alas, there’s no publication date or title yet.

All of these either don’t have covers or confirmed release dates, but another of my much anticipated releases does, and it’s King of Fools (The Shadow Game #2) by Amanda Foody.  The first book in this series, Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) was one of my top reads last year – immersive world-building, mesmerizing, flawed, diverse characters, life or death stakes – all done masterfully.  If you’re a fan of YA fantasy, don’t miss this one.

Indulge your vices in the City of Sin, where a sinister street war is brewing and fame is the deadliest killer of them all…

On the quest to find her missing mother, prim and proper Enne Salta became reluctant allies with Levi Glaisyer, the city’s most famous con man. Saving his life in the Shadow Game forced Enne to assume the identity of Seance, a mysterious underworld figure. Now, with the Chancellor of the Republic dead and bounties on both their heads, she and Levi must play a dangerous game of crime and politics…with the very fate of New Reynes at stake.

Thirsting for his freedom and the chance to build an empire, Levi enters an unlikely partnership with Vianca Augustine’s estranged son. Meanwhile, Enne remains trapped by the mafia donna’s binding oath, playing the roles of both darling lady and cunning street lord, unsure which side of herself reflects the truth.

As Enne and Levi walk a path of unimaginable wealth and opportunity, new relationships and deadly secrets could quickly lead them into ruin. And when unforeseen players enter the game, they must each make an impossible choice: To sacrifice everything they’ve earned in order to survive…

Or die as legends.

Calendar Girl is a monthly meme now hosted by Katie@nevernotreading and Adrienne @darquedreamer

The Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was created by Melanie at MNBernard Books, and Flavia at Flavia the Bibliophile. It was inspired by the 1961 classic song by Neil Sedaka and created to ignite fun bookish discussions among readers and bloggers.

Each month we get a new theme and choose our favorite book for the theme. The participants get to vote for their favorite.

The other fun piece to The Calendar Girls group is the Twitter chat. On the 3rd Sunday of each month, at 8 p.m. EST, Katie and Adrienne will host a chat with hashtag #CGBChat, where everyone can participate and gif away. They will get the ball rolling by asking a question or two about the theme or the picks of the month to get everyone chatting. The hashtag will be used in all tweets, so you can see all the fun!

 

I’ve read tons of books set in winter, but there’s no way I’d be able to name all of them.  Many scenes in the Harry Potter series come to mind, of course, and fairly recent reads such as The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon, and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden.

But the one that’s stuck with me all these years is The Shining (do I really need to list the author?) by Stephen King.  Of all his works, it’s easily among my favorites.  It’s the only book that’s literally given me goosebumps – and that was in the middle of summer, 90+ degrees, while lying by a pool.  The sheer volume of snow in the book plays a key role in isolating the Torrance family from help, and is as much of a character as Delbert Grady, Lloyd the bartender, the old woman in the bathtub, and the Grady daughters.  Some images from the movie are permanently embedded in my brain.

Kind of makes me want to read the book again and watch the movie.  Part two of The Shining, Doctor Sleep, will be released as a movie in 2020!